Most Bahubalis win in Bihar polls

Barring a few exceptions, most known criminal-politicians and their wives, who contested the Bihar assembly polls emerged winners on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United,and its ally Bharatiya Janata Party, top the list of parties with poll winners who have a criminal background.

Interestingly, with JD-U and BJP sweeping polls, most of the known criminal-politicians and their wives, belonging to the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Lok Janshakti Party and Congress were defeated in the polls.

These criminal-politicians are locally called bahubalis (strongmen) for their combination of political and muscle power. Their presence in the electoral arena was a matter of concern for the authorities and police.

Among the winners were the JD-U's Anant Singh, Dhumal Singh and Sunil Pandey and Neeraj Kumar Singh. Nitish Kumar had campaigned and sought votes for them. Pandey ,Dhumal and Anant Singh face serious criminal cases including murder, kidnapping and extortion.All three were sitting JD-U MLAs.

Ran Vijay Singh, from the ruling JD-U won from Goh constituency. He is in jail over a murder case. Singh was perhaps the only candidate from a political party who contested the assembly elections from prison. Singh has been in jail for over three years following a shootout at a polling booth in 2005.

Other JD-U winners with criminal records including Sarfaraz Alam and Bucchan Yadav .The charges against them include extortion, kidnapping,and murder.

Alam, son of controversial former central minister Mohammad Taslimuddin,contested from from Jokihat.

JD-U's Lesi Singh- wife of slain ganglord Butan Singh - also won from Dhamdaha constituency. Lesi Singh is a former legislator and former chairperson of Bihar Women's Commission.Others JD-U's winners include Bima Bharti, wife of gangster Awadesh Mandal , Punam Devi, wife of criminal-turned-politician Ranvir Yadav, and Annu Shukla, wife of JD-U legislator Munna Shukla, who is currently in jail for the murder of former Bihar minister Brijbihari Prasad.

The BJP's tainted winners include Munni Devi, Damyanti Devi, wife of gangster Bhagir Yadav, criminal-turned-politician Nityanand Rai and Chitranjan Kumar, a former member from Pandav Sena, a private upper-caste militia.

The RJD only winner is Surendra Prasad Yadav, a former minister,won from Belaganj in Gaya district.

The bahubalis who were defeated include the LJP's Rama Singh and Shankar Singh,who heads a private militia .Both are named in several cases of murder, looting and kidnapping.

Interestingly, Congress candidate Lovely Anand, wife of criminal-turned-politician Anand Mohan, and Ranjeet Ranjan, wife of former MP Rajiv Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Ajit Sarkar, were also defeated.